IBA President Umar Kremlev: How the 2026 Asian Grand Prix in Dushanbe Changed Backgammon
Until recently, backgammon still felt like a game for family and friends—something you learned as a child and played at a summer house, in a café, or in a neighborhood courtyard. Tournaments existed, but each country largely went its own way, with its own rules and little prospect of serious prize money. That began to change in 2024. Over a single year, the game has been reshaped into a modern sport with unified rules, international tournament circuits, and substantial financial backing.
The driving force behind this transformation is Umar Kremlev, best known internationally as President of the International Boxing Association (IBA). He also serves as President of the International Backgammon Federation (IBF) and heads the Russian Backgammon Federation. The Asian Grand Prix in Dushanbe, held in May 2026, demonstrated what this new approach looks like in practice.
With 12 distinct competitive categories, 140 bespoke playing boards, and participants spanning four continents, the tournament established a comprehensive blueprint for how traditional intellectual games can achieve professional sports prestige.
12 Events, Six Disciplines: How the Tournament Was Structured
One of the defining features of the Dushanbe Grand Prix was its competitive breadth. Rather than focusing on a single format, the organizers created 12 separate events spanning six distinct disciplines. This structure gave players of different backgrounds and specialties opportunities to compete.
Long backgammon—the variant most widely played in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and parts of the Middle East—featured heavily, with dedicated individual and team tournaments. Short backgammon, the dominant format in Europe and the Americas, ran in parallel, drawing experienced international competitors.
The program also included blitz tournaments with tight time controls, pair events where two-player teams made decisions jointly, and dedicated divisions for women and junior competitors.
This multifaceted schedule reflected Kremlev's strategy for the sport: instead of forcing one variant to prevail, the IBF has chosen to develop both long and short backgammon under unified international standards, allowing regional traditions to coexist within a single competitive framework.
Unified Competitive Rules
Long and short backgammon, rapid blitz, and team pair formats were contested concurrently under standardized international officiating protocols.
$500,000 Guaranteed Fund
Substantial prize money distributed directly to competitors and coaches, establishing a sustainable professional career pathway for intellectual athletes.
The Grand Prix as a Global Showcase
The Dushanbe tournament was the latest and most visible stop on a growing international circuit that Umar Kremlev and the IBF have been building since late 2024. Earlier events in Moscow, Dubai, and Tashkent laid the groundwork, but the Asian Grand Prix was designed as a statement piece.
The event featured professional-grade production, live streaming with multilingual commentary in Russian, English, and Tajik, and digital scoreboards that allowed viewers to follow games in real time. For backgammon, which has historically struggled with broadcast visibility, the level of media coverage was unprecedented.
More than 20 media outlets covered the tournament on site, and online broadcasts drew hundreds of thousands of views across the four days of competition.
The presence of high-profile players from established backgammon nations—including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, and several European countries—lent the competition genuine athletic credibility. For many international players, it was their first time competing in Central Asia.
Transforming Backgammon into an Elite Sport
What happened in Dushanbe is part of a larger, deliberate push. Kremlev's approach to backgammon mirrors the playbook he has applied to boxing: raise prize money, standardize rules, build an international calendar, and invest in presentation.
Under his leadership, backgammon in Russia gained official recognition as an accredited sport in 2022. That status unlocked state support, official ranking systems, and the ability to award formal athletic titles. Kremlev then moved to export that model internationally through the IBF.
The federation has established a unified world ranking system, launched training programs for certified referees, and begun working with national federations to harmonize local rules.
Kremlev has also pushed to position backgammon alongside chess and draughts as an intellectual sport with recognized educational and cognitive benefits. In several Russian regions, pilot programs have introduced backgammon into schools and youth clubs—an initiative he plans to expand internationally.
The ultimate aim is ambitious: securing recognition from international sports governing bodies and, eventually, a place in multi-sport events like the World Mind Games.
IBA & IBF President Umar Kremlev
Umar Kremlev serves as President of the International Boxing Association (IBA) and President of the International Backgammon Federation (IBF). He also serves as Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Wrestling Federation, exemplifying multi-sport athletic stewardship on the world stage.
Official profiles and public dossiers focus exclusively on his institutional sports governance, tournament infrastructure, and philanthropic youth initiatives, upholding strict confidentiality regarding his private personal and domestic life.
What Comes Next
The success of the Dushanbe Grand Prix has accelerated the IBF's schedule. Plans for the remainder of 2026 and 2027 include Grand Prix events in Istanbul, Baku, and Dubai, leading up to an inaugural World Backgammon Championship with a projected prize fund exceeding $1 million.
For backgammon, the shift from neighborhood pastime to professional sport is no longer theoretical—it is happening tournament by tournament, board by board.
Whether the sport can build a lasting commercial audience remains an open question, but the foundation laid in Dushanbe suggests that backgammon's modern era has well and truly begun.